Members of the New York City chapter of Restore the Fourth, the grassroots, nonpartisan movement dedicated to restoring the Fourth Amendment rights of all Americans, engaged in a sit-in Monday afternoon to protest Congressman Gregory Meeks’ vote to fund NSA programs which collect the call records of every American. Four members of the group have volunteered to risk arrest to symbolize the seizure of the 4th Amendment by the NSA and its congressional supporters. This action comes as the front page of Monday’s New York Times says efforts to rein in NSA bulk surveillance have “built a momentum that even critics say may be unstoppable.”

“Representative Meeks #Voted4BigBrother and against the 4th Amendment, his constituents, and the rights of every American,” said sit-in participant Ben Doernberg. “Perhaps Meeks’ largest 2014 election campaign donor, AT&T, which charges taxpayers $325 for every wiretap it activates, played a role in his vote.” The group is demanding that Rep. Meeks apologize for his vote for the unconstitutional program and commit to supporting future measures to end blanket surveillance.

Earlier in the day, members of the group delivered a thank-you note and 4th Amendment cake to the office of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who upheld the constitution and the will of his constituents by supporting the Amash Amendment ending the NSA’s blanket surveillance of Americans, an amendment which came only 12 votes short, 205-217.

According to polling expert Nate Silver, there has been “a significant shift in public opinion on the trade-off between civil liberties and national security.” In a reflection of this wave of public opinion, thousands of Americans holding a wide range of political views turned out on July 4th for Restore the Fourth rallies across the country.

EVICTION HALTED!75 community members forced 30 sheriffs to retreat from a Minnesota home as boards were removed. Two were arrested and one home defender was cut out of a barrel filled with concrete by sheriffs wielding a jackhammer and saw. We have held the home!

Please be on HIGH ALERT, another eviction attempt is likely to happen in the coming days.

Thanks for your support--with your help we will continue fighting day and night to defend Sergio's family from an illegal eviction carried out by the public servants who are paid by the public to serve the public, not private, interest.

This morning Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI-CATS) is taking direct action near Stockbridge to halt construction of the Tar Sands pipeline 6B expansion project of Canadian corporation Enbridge. Over 40 Michiganders have come to oppose the infamous corporation’s flagrant expansion of the very same pipeline that spilled out into the Kalamazoo River only three years ago. Enbridge claims they have restored the river after a spill is no excuse to expand the pipeline, expanding the pipeline increases the risk for everyone.

Residents are currently halting Enbridge’s construction plans by putting their bodies on the line in an act of non violent civil disobedience against Enbridge’s plans. At least 6 people have been arrested so far as police attempt to shut down the protest. 4 people are currently locked down to construction equipment and refusing to move. Police have arrested their medical support team and threaten to arrest anyone who tries to approach them.

These measures come after the exhaustion of every method within the law, as it has has become apparent from our experiences all throughout the state. Our state government is ready to set aside its own laws and legal processes to accommodate this foreign corporation.

Enbridge itself has consistently demonstrated that their sole priority is their own bottom line, not the health and safety of the people of Michigan, our ecosystem, and even their own workers.

Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands seeks to unite the people of Michigan toward the common goal of stopping all transportation of tar sands oil in the state and advocating against the production and transportation of tar sands everywhere. We work in solidarity with the global movement against harsh fossil fuel extractive practices.

According to one person who is participating in this action:

“This pipeline is a disaster for Michigan’s water and the global climate. I’m blockading this pipeline to prevent the next spill because I care about Michigan’s air and water. People all over the world are taking action in their own community this Fearless Summer. We need to leave all fossil fuels in the
ground.”
-William Lawrence of East Lansing

We will not allow Canadian tar sands to pass through our backyards. We will no longer allow the same Canadian corporation responsible for the tar sands which still lie at the bottom of our Kalamazoo River to place all of us at risk. We are taking this action to protect from another spill and to ensure a livable planet for generations to come.

Location of the action is the Enbridge 6B easement off of Grimes west of M-52 near Stockbridge, MI. Look for the orange construction signs and the police presence. Hashtag ‪#‎micatsact‬.

The Zimmerman verdict reminds us that in the United States Black life is given no value by the forces of law, order, and property. While #hoodiesup shows a historical force drawn up in opposition, the direction of the protests is still uncertain. Some demonstrators call for a federal civil rights suit, while others draw attention to the larger structural oppression faced by black and poor people. Some want to stay focused on a single vigilante, while others draw the connection to Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, and Rodney King. Some want to ignore the institution of the police, while the rest of us know that Zimmerman is a wannabe cop, and that every cop is a wannabe Zimmerman.

Leaders urge peace, calm, and obedience. But even if peaceful rallies result in a federal suit against Zimmerman, will that change what brought us into the streets in the first place? Do we mean it when we say, “Never Again”? What would it take to actually stop all this misery?

Every movement that’s ever meant anything has given itself the means to disrupt daily life. If there is a common thread that runs through Civil Rights to Black Power, this is it. The simple question is how to become a force. Moments of disruption teach us new ways to relate to each other and our cities. Most importantly, they teach us that we are powerful. A determined people doesn’t have to rely on wannabe cops or politicians. That’s why the cowards caution us to obey the law over the call in our hearts. They know this—and it terrifies them.

“I’m not shocked, I’m outraged.” The murder of a black teen is not the exception, but the norm; we are coming to fists with normal life in America. Hence, #hoodiesup must disrupt the places that sustain this normal: cities, highways, trains, ports, social media—all the flows that compose the false harmony of America. The sit-ins in Pittsburgh and Florida, the marches blocking streets around the country, the highway takeovers in Oakland, LA, and Houston, all share a wisdom: every place that politics and commerce carry on as if nothing has happened is ripe for disruption. Block everything!